Disturbing Methods and Coercive Cash
Incentives Used to Encourage Rohingya Refugees' Return to Myanmar - a quick
review of the last week.
JUN 5, 2023
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June 2023: Rohingya
families on Bhasan Char, upon hearing about the $2000 cash incentive, visit the
CiC office to enlist themselves for repatriation to Myanmar.
Over
the past week, I've immersed myself in a series of disconcerting audio and
video recordings that starkly illustrate the ongoing concerns surrounding the
“pilot repatriation” of Rohingya refugees.
Imagine,
if you can, the grim reality encapsulated in these phrases - "You'll be
beaten, over and over," or "This is not your father's land. You must
return." The recipient of such chilling words? An elderly Rohingya refugee
woman.
Statements
like these provide a glimpse into the alarming array of distressing accounts
I've encountered, each echoing the crisis at hand.
In
one standout audio clip, an encounter unfolds between a refugee and an
individual with an educated Bangladeshi accent, alleged to be from the NSI
(National Security Intelligence) or DGFI (Directorate General of Forces
Intelligence). This individual probes the refugee for his shed number, name, and
other personal details, making it clear that he already has this information.
Despite the pressure, the refugee stands his ground, respectfully but defiantly
responding, "I don't know who you are. I am not going to tell you
anything." His voice reveals palpable distress, yet he demonstrates a firm
resolve not to succumb to intimidation.
In
another testimony, a refugee courageously voices his opposition to returning to
Myanmar. His video testimony serves as a catalogue of degrading treatment and
threats, highlighting the significant challenges faced by those who dare
dissent against repatriation efforts. The intensity of intimidation in his
account was so alarming that I forwarded a summary of the information to
various human rights agencies to alert them to the ongoing situation. Whether I
publish his story will depend on the individual's circumstances.
Perhaps
the most heartbreaking are the degrading accounts of parents being physically
assaulted in front of their own children
Collectively,
these accounts paint a vivid and deeply concerning picture of the human crisis
unfolding daily. The voices within these recordings belong to real individuals,
each grappling with a harsh, unbearable reality - the possibility of forced
repatriation.
In my new article, published by The Diplomat
and entitled "Cash Incentives and Coercion: Rohingya Repatriation
Controversy," I shed light on the unsettling methods the
Bangladesh authorities are reportedly using to encourage Rohingya refugees to
return to Myanmar.
A key aspect of the article
focuses on a cash incentive scheme rolled out on May 30th on Bhasan Char and a
day earlier in Teknaf. Here, Rohingya families were promised $2,000 if they
agreed to return to Myanmar. This brief article offers a snapshot of the tough
circumstances these displaced people face.
I have written to the head of
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) to inquire if this $2000
offer has been extended to all individuals listed and interviewed by the junta
delegations that visited Teknaf. I also asked UNHCR what they know. UNHCR said
they would get back to me…I am not holding my breath.
Understanding the scope and reach
of this financial offer, which appears to be selective, is crucial for
assessing its implications. It's concerning that the Bangladesh authorities
have shown a historical lack of transparency, especially under these
circumstances. If the authorities are indeed making this offer selectively to
certain individuals or families, it could potentially signal desperation to
meet their targeted number for volunteer repatriations. Such selective
inducement raises serious ethical questions and concerns about fairness.
The selectivity brings into
question the integrity of the decision-making process: who decides who receives
the offer and on what basis? It undermines the principles of voluntary and
informed repatriation, a cornerstone of ethical displacement management, which
upholds that individuals should make their choices based on a genuine desire to
return to their countries of origin, free from any undue influence or coercion.
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